Photographic mask.



O. M. MORRIS.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MASK. APPLICATION FILED JULY I, I9I5. RENEWED AUG. 30, 1917.

1 ,248,695 l Patented Dec. 4, 1917.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEToE.

OBVILLE M. MORRIS, 0F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MASK.

Application led July 1, 1915, Serial N0g 37.444.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ORVILLE M. MORRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic Masks, of which the following is a specication.

As is well known in the art, a photographic mask is a thin mat of material which is impervious to actinic rays, provided with a central opening through which the actinic rays pass to reproduce the negative on sensitized paper; that portion of the negative covered by the mat creating a border about the picture or print. l

Prior to the present invention, ithas been customary for photographers, in making prints from negatives, to provide themselves with a multitude of masks of various sizes and shapes to correspond to the various sizes and shapes of the negatives to be reproduced.

The present invention has for its object toprovide a single photographic mask adjustable to all sized negatives, which will, when adj ustedto the negative, indicate the size of the paper upon which the negative is to be reproduced and during the printing operation will produce the border around the picture and eliminate trimming.

Likewise, with the present invention it is possible to select a certain portion of a negative and reproduce this particular portion without preparing a special mask or going through any of the other tedious procedures now necessary. Y j

With the above and other objects inview, as will be hereinafter apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, .claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,-

Figure 1 is a plan View o f a photographic mask constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, to illustrate one form of the locking means for retaining the 'elements of the mask in their adjusted position;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section along theline 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to that of Fig,

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Dec. 4, 191 '7.

Renewed August 30, 1917. Serial No. 189,040.

2, illustrating another form of the locking mechanism, and

Fig. 5 is' a section similar to that of Fig. 3, taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Reference being had more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a square provided with the arms 10a and 10b. yThe arms 10a and 10b `of the .square are graduated as at 11 along one edge thereof, beginningat the inner angle of the square and extending throughout the entire length of the arms. These graduations 11 permit of the measuring of the negative, in order that the exact dimensions thereof may be determined and the sensitized paper for the print may be. out to exactly the requiredV size before the.

printing operation.

Along the inner edges of the arms 10a and 10b is the strip 12 of material opaque to the actinic rays, said strip standing beyond the edges of the arms 10al and 1()b a distance equal to the width of the border desired, which is standard. This strip 12I is transparent, while the square 10 may be of metal, cardboard or any other suitable material, preferably, however, of spring metal.

Slidable on each arm 10a, 10b of the square 10, is an arm or strip 13, said arms or strips 13 crossing one another at right angles, as illustrated in Fig. 1. These arms or strips 13 are constructed of the same material as the square 10 and are provided along their inner edges with the strips 12a of material opaque to actinic rays, which extend to the strips 12 of the square and coperate therewith to complete the rectangular border about the print. It is manifest that by sliding the arms or strips 13 along the arms 10a and 10 of the square, the rectangle inclosed by the square and thearms or strips 13 may be enlarged or reduced, as desired, constantly, however, maintaining a transparent border of opaque material to actinic rays, whereby a border is created about the print.

In order to maintain the arms or strips 13 in their adjusted positions, the arms 10, 10b of the square 10 are each provided with a bead 14:, extending upwardly from the graduated surfaces thereof in the shape of a V. The terminals of the strips or arms 13 coperat'ing with the arms 10a, 10" of the i 15, to extend approximately flush with and along the under surfaces of the arms of the square, where said re-bent portions 15 terminate in or adjacent to the V-beads 14. In this manner, an eyelet is formed which engages that portion of the coperating arm 102l or 10b between the V-bead and the outer edge of the arm 10a or 10", forming a practically permanent connection between the arm or strip 13 and the coperating arm of the square 10. That portion of the arm or strip 13 which engages the coperating arm of the square 10 is provided with a transverse V-bead 16, which corresponds to and receives the V-bead 14 of the arm of the square. It is manifest, therefore, that by the provision of these coperating V-beads, it is impossible for the arms or strips 13 to have any lateral movement, and hence the rectangle between the square and these arms or strips 13 is permanent in its nature, and fixed when once adjusted.

In order to hold the arms or strips 13 in their adjusted positions, the apex of the V- bead 14 of each arm 10, 10b of the square 10 is provided with a series of depressions. or openings 17, corresponding to the graduations 11. In the form of lockingl device shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the apex of the V- bead 16 of each arm or strip 13 is provided 'with a series of inward depressions 18,

which form projections extending into the interior of said V-bead 16. These depressions 18 are spaced one from the other along the V-bead 16, to correspond to the spaces between the depressions or apertures 17 of the V-bead 14, and, as the strip or arm 13 moves along the coperating arm of the square 10, these projections formed by the depressions 18 spring into the depressions or apertures 17 and hold the arm in iits adjusted position, at the same time permitting of further adjustment if desired.

In Figs. 4 and 5, a slightly modified form of locking device is illustrated, in that the free terminal of the rebent portion 15 of the arm or strip 13 extends into the V-bead 14, where it is re-bent as at 19 and crimped to form the projections 20. These projections 20 are suiiiciently spaced one from the other to correspond to the spacing of the depressions or apertures 17 of the V-bead 14. The natural spring of the metal causes these projections 20 to spring into the depressions or apertures 17 to lock the strips or arms 13 as in the forms in Figs. 2 and 3. From the foregoing, it is apparent 'that .by placing the negative, Whether it be a film or a plate, withinl the angle of the square 10 and upon the non-actinic strip 12, and then moving oradjusting the arms 13 until the inner .edges of said arms rest iiush against t-he adjacent edges of the negative, the size of said negative may be read on the graduations 1l, the inner edges of the arms or strips 13 indicating the reading upon said graduations. By following these dimensions thus given by the graduations aforesaid, the sensitized paper upon which the negative is to be reproduced may be cut to the exact size of the negative. It is then placed upon the negative, which rests upon the strips 12 and 12a of material opaque to actinic rays, after which the negative and sensitized paper are exposed to the light. This exposure causes the reproductionof that portion of the negative contained within the strips 12 and 12a, upon the sensitized paper; that portion of the negative covered by the strips 12, 12a remaining unprinted, therebyreatin a border around the print. Manifestly, 1t is therefore unnecessary to trim the print, as it is rovided, after the printing operation, with the necessary and desirable border of uniformi width, and the photograph occupies a central space with respect to the edges of the print. Y

With the present mask, all negatives within the limits of the present standard cameras may be handled with but a single mask, in

lieu of the many masks one to correspond to each size of negative, such as have tofore been necessary. Furthermore, a portion of a negative may be reproduced, without the necessity of a special mask, in that the arms or strips 13 may be adjusted to inclose between them and the arms ofthe square 10 just that portion of the negative it is desired to reproduce.

It is also apparent that the border about the print as heretofore described is created by the non-actinic strips 12, 12a projecting beyond the edges of the arms 10a-10b of the square 10 and the arms 13 respectively, due to ,the Afact that the said non-actinic strips project over the edges of the print, and by their transparency facilitate the adjustment of the mask upon the negative and also the positioning of the sensitized paper.

What is claimed is:

1. A mask comprising a plurality of sides, a number of which may be individually and independently adjusted relatively to the others, and all of said sides being provided along the inner edges with transparent bordering strips of material opaque to actinic ra s.

52r. The combination with a body member, of arms slidable thereon, and means for retaining said .arms from lateral movement 4. In a photographic mask, the combination with a square, of an arm adjustable upon each arm of said square, said arms being bent. at their terminals to embrace the arms of said square, registering beads formed in the arms of said square and in the coperating terminals of said adjustable arms, the rebentends of the adjustable arms terminating in the beads of the arms of the 10 square aforesaid.

5. The combination With an opaque rectangular frame, of a series of transparent strips impervious to actnic rays on the inner edges of the sides of said frame, said strips forming transparent continuations on said sides.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this the 26th day of June, 1915.

ORVILLE M. MORRIS. Witnesses:

H. R. MENDIUS, CHARLES S. WILsoN. 

